Key TakeawaysViDok is an app created to gather crowdsourced information that may help researchers identify drugs to effectively treat COVID-19.Users (who do not need a medical degree) have access to a database of available drugs. They can use the app to test how well each drug will bind to a key COVID-19 protein.The researchers hope the app will help reveal potential treatments for COVID-19 that can be further tested.
Key Takeaways
ViDok is an app created to gather crowdsourced information that may help researchers identify drugs to effectively treat COVID-19.Users (who do not need a medical degree) have access to a database of available drugs. They can use the app to test how well each drug will bind to a key COVID-19 protein.The researchers hope the app will help reveal potential treatments for COVID-19 that can be further tested.
Vaccines and drugs to treat COVID-19are being developed in labs all over the world. A new app allowsyouto participate in the search from the comfort of your home. You don’t need a medical degree—or even a background in chemistry—to get involved. All you need is a smartphone.
“The research tools and resources that are currently being used for doing the research in drug design are now accessible and user-friendly,” Truong tells Verywell “So the people who don’t have much chemistry knowledge—or have some—can participate in the process at the same time as the people who are the experts.”
How the App Works
Thanh Truong
The app determines the binding strength of the molecule to the protein, which lets users know if it’s a good fit or not. From there, users can alter the structure of the molecule and test again.
The results from users’ simulations are posted to a public website, making them accessible to everyone. The crowdsourced information will hopefully lead to further research and testing.
Truong says the process is similar to looking through a box of old keys to find the one that best fits a lock. “You can go ahead and modify any way you like, because [the app] will tell you if [the molecule] is a better fit or worse fit."
The process also takes the burden of the early drug screening phase off of researchers.
“Researchers, pharmaceutical companies, or universities can look at these results, and say, ‘Okay, this seems to be one of the best. I can check that, go into the lab, and do testing,’” Truong says. “The app is [designed] to complete the initial stage of the screening and optimizations so that the researcher doesn’t have to do that.”
Sue Feldman, PhDTechnology will definitely speed up medical advancement and breakthroughs and we are already seeing that.
Sue Feldman, PhD
Technology will definitely speed up medical advancement and breakthroughs and we are already seeing that.
The technology can save time and money, too. As users play with molecules, they are helping contribute to important treatment research—which can be costly and time-consuming when it’s only done in a lab. “You can get drugs coming out to the market faster and cheaper because a lot of people are contributing to the research at the beginning,” Truong says.
Technology and Our COVID-19 Response
While apps like ViDok are changing the way researchers approach science, technology has played a significant role in attempting to slow the spread of the virus, too.
Screening and Contact Tracing
Since the pandemic began, apps have been developed to help screen people for COVID-19, performcontact tracing, and notify people of possible exposure.
Contact Tracing Apps Aim to Slow Spread of COVID-19
“Technology will definitely speed up medical advancement and breakthroughs and we are already seeing that,”Sue Feldman, PhD, director of graduate programs in health informatics at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB), tells Verywell.
Researchers at UAB developed the platformGuideSafe, which includes a COVID-19 exposure notification app. While there is no one “magic bullet” that will stop the spread of COVID-19, Feldman says, a “collection of tools, apps and behaviors—and tools that modify behaviors” can mitigate it.
Thanh Truong, PhDAll of these crowdsourced ideas leverage people’s resources, and here, we leverage human intelligence.
Thanh Truong, PhD
All of these crowdsourced ideas leverage people’s resources, and here, we leverage human intelligence.
Helping Businesses
These tools can also help businesses operate as safely as possible during the pandemic, Ryan Gold, the co-founder ofSAFEN Labs, tells Verywell. The SAFEN app is a self-screening tool that workplaces can use with their employees.
The goal of the SAFEN app is to prevent anyone who has symptoms of COVID-19 from coming into a workplace and potentially passing it on to others.
“Currently, we have a variety of companies benefiting from the SAFEN screening, including companies with office workers, manufacturing facilities, and [those who work in] hospitality,” Gold says.
Researchers are still working on bringing asafe and effective COVID-19 vaccineto the market. Until then,hand washing,face masks, social distancing, and testing are all important aspects of preventing the transmission of the virus.
Looking Ahead
The pandemic has challenged researchers, scientists, and app developers, but it has also brought about advancements and tools that will hopefully improve health care in the long-term.
“While I hope that we never have another pandemic such as this, I do believe that people will be more accustomed to downloading apps on their phones that contribute to the greater good,” Feldman says.
Truong is hopeful that the ViDok app will inspire people to get involved in the fight against the COVID-19—even if they’re not science whizzes.
“The fact is that all of these crowdsourced ideas leverage people’s resources, and here, we leverage human intelligence," Truong says. “By looking at the [app’s] results, and seeing how well a certain drug candidate binds to the target protein, humans can use their eyes and analyze without needing much knowledge in chemistry.”
ViDok is available in the Apple App Store and Google Play.
What This Means For YouYou don’t need a medical degree or even a background in chemistry to use the new crowdsourcing app that aims to help researchers find effective drugs to treat COVID-19.If successful, the information gleaned from the ViDok app could reduce the amount of time and money spent on lab research and make treatments for COVID-19 available sooner.
What This Means For You
You don’t need a medical degree or even a background in chemistry to use the new crowdsourcing app that aims to help researchers find effective drugs to treat COVID-19.If successful, the information gleaned from the ViDok app could reduce the amount of time and money spent on lab research and make treatments for COVID-19 available sooner.
You don’t need a medical degree or even a background in chemistry to use the new crowdsourcing app that aims to help researchers find effective drugs to treat COVID-19.
If successful, the information gleaned from the ViDok app could reduce the amount of time and money spent on lab research and make treatments for COVID-19 available sooner.
The information in this article is current as of the date listed, which means newer information may be available when you read this. For the most recent updates on COVID-19, visit ourcoronavirus news page.
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